Motor Sport in the national press
Discussion
...or rather the lack of it.
Do you know what the most popular sporting event was on Sunday?
Cricket? Footie? Horse Racing?
Try the BTCC at Brands. 25,000 spectators. 3 million national TV audience and the best part of 10 million globally.
Last week, the UK had a rare sporting success story - a Brit winning Indy - the first for over 35 years.
And did you know that after football, the most popular spectator attended sport in the UK is....motor racing (and that's excluding the GP)!!
So why does TV news and all but the quality national papers give no mention of the sport in their sports coverage?
Do you know what the most popular sporting event was on Sunday?
Cricket? Footie? Horse Racing?
Try the BTCC at Brands. 25,000 spectators. 3 million national TV audience and the best part of 10 million globally.
Last week, the UK had a rare sporting success story - a Brit winning Indy - the first for over 35 years.
And did you know that after football, the most popular spectator attended sport in the UK is....motor racing (and that's excluding the GP)!!
So why does TV news and all but the quality national papers give no mention of the sport in their sports coverage?
steviebee said:
So why does TV news and all but the quality national papers give no mention of the sport in their sports coverage?
Never mind national media - I was at a packed Santa Pod for the first round of the European drag racing series over tha Bank Holiday. Big top fuel field, pro mods all over the place, stacks of sportsman racers, a big crowd and some cracking action. It got a tiny column in Motorsport News and no mention at all in Autosport, which deemed South American saloon car racing more newsworthy.
If the motorsport press isn't covering such a big event, what hope the national press?!
Dan Wheldon did get a mention on the local news round here, but even then they prefaced it with "you've never heard of him, but...".
As for PR and journalists, there is a media centre at Brands Hatch. There happens to be one at every circuit in the country (well, all the ones I've been to anyway).
Someone hit the nail on the head earlier in the thread when they mentioned that the national press cover footaball almost exclusively.
However, it depends on what newspaper you read. I know for a fact that The Times and The Telegraph have people that cover the BTCC and used to put half decent size reports (occasionally with pictures) of the races. I believe the Daily Star used to write small articles about it too, but not sure any more. Just what newspapers are we talking about here folks, what do you read?
As for the sport being more popular years ago than football. Well, you've just not noticed the progress that football has in this country as a business, rather than a sport. It means too much, to too many people nowadays to not be covered in great and minute detail in every paper.
Also, as a side note. The national media (the tabloids in particular) will only print copy that appeals to the entire country. So, they'll usually pick up on a Brit doing well on a large scale. For instance, Mansell Mania. Damon Hill and his fight for the F1 title. Mansell (again) in the BTCC years ago.
If there's an angle they can sell papers across the country, they'll print it. Just talking about a BTCC driver, which, lets face it, apart from fans of th BTCC, who's EVER heard of them? will not get papers sold on the back of it.
Someone hit the nail on the head earlier in the thread when they mentioned that the national press cover footaball almost exclusively.
However, it depends on what newspaper you read. I know for a fact that The Times and The Telegraph have people that cover the BTCC and used to put half decent size reports (occasionally with pictures) of the races. I believe the Daily Star used to write small articles about it too, but not sure any more. Just what newspapers are we talking about here folks, what do you read?
As for the sport being more popular years ago than football. Well, you've just not noticed the progress that football has in this country as a business, rather than a sport. It means too much, to too many people nowadays to not be covered in great and minute detail in every paper.
Also, as a side note. The national media (the tabloids in particular) will only print copy that appeals to the entire country. So, they'll usually pick up on a Brit doing well on a large scale. For instance, Mansell Mania. Damon Hill and his fight for the F1 title. Mansell (again) in the BTCC years ago.
If there's an angle they can sell papers across the country, they'll print it. Just talking about a BTCC driver, which, lets face it, apart from fans of th BTCC, who's EVER heard of them? will not get papers sold on the back of it.
Don't forget all the other motorsports that were on last weekend with the BTCC - MotoGP, BSB, DTM, AMA Superbike (Neal Hodgson winning) combine it all together and you might get 2 paragraphs in a single column.
True about PR though, (slightly off topic) did anyone see the show they put on in Paris for their Olympics bid, they put a running track on the Champs-Elysee, Swimming pool and other events too. What did we have in Stratford on the same day.....a burnt out car, some empty land, 3 whino's and "England football captain David Beckham doing his bit for the bid by tackling a crossword in a promotional film"
What the hell has he got to do with the Olympics. No wonder Paris are the favourites.
>> Edited by FourWheelDrift on Tuesday 7th June 09:39
True about PR though, (slightly off topic) did anyone see the show they put on in Paris for their Olympics bid, they put a running track on the Champs-Elysee, Swimming pool and other events too. What did we have in Stratford on the same day.....a burnt out car, some empty land, 3 whino's and "England football captain David Beckham doing his bit for the bid by tackling a crossword in a promotional film"
What the hell has he got to do with the Olympics. No wonder Paris are the favourites. >> Edited by FourWheelDrift on Tuesday 7th June 09:39
it also depends on which paper you read, something like the observer is absolutley dire for motorsport of any kind, mainly because its readers are leftie loving greenies who complain alot about noise etc and therefore are defo not interested in cars as they feel they are the devil's children.
the 'times' however is not bad for motorsport - at least for f1.
the 'times' however is not bad for motorsport - at least for f1.
You think you've got it bad! Try being a 12 times world champion, From England, competed at home regularly and still get no publicity!
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